This will be a short essay but I want to use it to articulate a helpful tip that someone passed along to me years ago.
The idea is in the title! Waking up without an alarm has been really really helpful to making my mornings smooth and productive. My current room has lots of windows, so the natural light seeps in as the sun rises. I wake up naturally as a result. I have not used an alarm (unless when traveling or needing to go to the airport) in 8 months! And it has really made a difference in how I start my days.
Sleep is obviously a hugely important aspect of our lives – one that is greatly under-explored and under-prioritized by many. I would recommend reading Why We Sleep (linked below).
Anyways, no alarm is just one optimization I have made to my sleep. I think there must be other things I should be doing to greatly increase the quality and nature of my time in bed. Should I be wearing a night mask? Should I have a certain type of fan? Certain blankets?